EatingOut

Everybody knows the basic rules for saving money on food. Don't eat out. Ditch the steaks in favor of ground beef. Stick to staples. But a recent USDA report shows that, in 2011, some classic money-saving guidelines proved useless as food prices went through the roof.

Joe did right by his mother in her declining years, but half a decade of expensive care for her has left the 53-year-old in a financially precarious position. Money and Happiness columnist Laura Rowley offers him a step-by-step plan to get out of debt and back on track for his own retirement.

We insist upon discounts for groceries, hotels, gifts, and just about everything else we buy. But what about eating out? How can you save when you're on the business end of a napkin? Let's round up some of the primary methods and compare them.

Along with happy meals, fast food giant McDonald's is now offering a musical play area to lure hungry kids and their parents in for a bite. The play areas designed by Playtime Musical PlayPlace systems have over-sized keyboards, climbers, instruments and musical maps that incorporate activities...

This week, Dunkin' Donuts added more variations of chicken and tuna oven-toasted sandwiches to its menu in select markets -- for as low as $1.49 for a wrap. The popular hang out for breakfast and beverage has been expanding its offerings for quite sometime and morphing into something more than...

It's not of Muggle born, says psychology professor Barry Schwartz, in a USA Today article about "Kids Eat Free" deals at restaurants, "free is magic."To be clear: this is not Disney-style fairy tale magic. Schwartz follows up by saying these deals at restaurants such as IHOP, Fazoli's and West...

Researchers at the Center for Hospitality Research at Cornell University recently uncovered a tantalizing tidbit in their study of restaurant menus. While the intent of the report is to tell restaurant operators how to milk a few extra bucks out of diners (that's you!), here's the scoop so you can...

In a trendy beverage progression he describes as "Red Bulls, coffee, and everything else," Digg founder Kevin Rose has now arrived at an ancient plateau: tea. He tells Wired Magazine that his company now spends $1,000 a month on special teas for his employees, including his favorite, Pu-erh from...

"Sunday dinner" was a regular thing for my siblings and I when my parents lived in town; and a great way for the family with the mostest to play hostess to those of us with less fabulously-well paying jobs. My sisters are all working in industries celebrated far more for their contribution to...

There are two main breakfast options in my neighborhood: A charming but perpetually-crowded bistro, known as much for its quiche and muffins as for its hour-long waits; and the local '50's-style diner, which features no nonsense food with no nonsense service. I always choose the diner. And...